No cheerleaders as IPL mourns Sai Baba

Cheerleaders have been an integral part of the IPL. However, in keeping with the sombre mood following the death of godman Sathya Sai Baba this morning, the Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers decided not to use cheerleaders for their game in Hyderabad today. Rohit Bhaskar reports.

Cheerleaders have been an integral part of the IPL. However, in keeping with the sombre mood following the death of godman Sathya Sai Baba this morning, the Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers decided not to use cheerleaders for their game in Hyderabad on Sunday.

“Both the teams agreed not to use cheerleaders today to mourn the death Sathya Sai Baba. He is from Andra Pradesh and was revered here as much as anywhere else in the world,” said a Deccan Chargers official.

“We felt using cheerleaders would be a sort of disrespect, and hence the decision was taken,” the spokesperson added.Sachin Tendulkar, who celebrated his 38th birthday on Sunday, is an ardent follower of the godman and so is his India teammate VVS Laxman along with many others.

“They know how much he meant to Sachin and other people. So they readily accepted the idea when lobbed at them,” said the official.